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Mother's Day Gifts

Jan 1, 2012

Every mother is different. Some moms love cute, sentimental gifts, while others prefer more practical items. Either way, there is something for every mom this Mother's Day, through some creative wholesale offers available to retailers. For mothers fixated on the royal wedding, TheWholesaleFashionJewelry.com is selling an item that is incredibly appealing. "We have a copy of Princess Kate's ring, the one that Prince Charles originally gave to Princess Diana for their engagement," says Sue Blanchard, owner. "We have a smaller version of it that many people like, as well as the original size, which is 17 karats. We also make earrings and necklaces to match. All of these items are available boxed, and in addition to coming in the royal sapphire CZ stone, we also have it in ruby and emerald." The ring starts as low as $9.99 for high volume buyers and retails from $79 to $99, a significant markup for a high quality ring. In addition, TheWholesaleFashionJewelry.com offers pins, broaches, and pearls, ideal for Mother's Day.

The company website allows for quick browsing, as each product page contains a full description and an enlarged photo of the item, Blanchard explains. TheWholesaleFashionJewelry.com also offers a wish list feature, so the next time a user goes back to their shopping cart and enters their email address, they see all items they would like to purchase, as well as past orders. There are deals available for every customer, with categories such as Closeout, Jewelry Specials, and $2.99 or Less, featuring hundreds of specials and deals that are updated constantly. "We have a section where you can qualify for free shipping, free jewelry, discounts, and other promotions," Blanchard notes. "Just click on it, and for just about any order that somebody would place, there are coupons and discounts available. The more they buy, the bigger the discount."

The minimum order is $99, with volume discounts at $1,000, $2,000, and $5,000. "We add new goods to the shopping cart daily," Blanchard adds, "and we pass out the discounts we receive from our carriers to our customers. We give a lot of personal attention, and are available at all times to help people. Our prices are very good and our quality is excellent, and if anybody has a problem or a question, we are here to answer them."

The FLOMO brand, distributed wholesale-only by Nygala Corp., features over 10,000 items including novelties, gift bags, ceramics, photo frames and more, with hundreds of products that are excellent for Mother's Day. Founded in 1956 in Taiwan, FLOMO was brought to America in the 1980s, and is currently operated by Nygala in Teterboro, NJ. The uniqueness of their products is a big draw for many buyers. "All of our products and packaging are developed and designed by our product development and art team in-house, so you cannot find the same patterns and variations of products by any other supplier, or from any other brand," FLOMO's marketing department notes. A certified woman-owned and minority-owned business, the company's inventory includes holiday, seasonal and everyday items.

FLOMO makes more than 100 items appropriate for Mom and Grandma, including mugs, Spanish items, and plush gifts, easily viewed online in a special section for Mother's Day. The new Mother's Day pop-up cards feature pretty theme designs and warm messages for Mom. "When opened, an extra layer of the card pops out that matches the theme, such as a butterfly or flowers," a FLOMO rep says. "It's a nice surprise for any Mom to receive. Customers can appreciate this kind of item because it is unique and looks high-end, but at FLOMO we have made it extremely affordable."

In the coming months, FLOMO will announce a brand new design for the company website that is more user-friendly and modern, featuring comprehensive information about FLOMO, the brand, service, and products. Online ordering is available to potential customers who call, email, or visit the website to sign up for a special VIP code. Minimum order for delivery is $1,500, and the minimum for pickup at the New Jersey showroom is $500. The 20,000-square-foot facility displays all of FLOMO's products, allowing consumers to see and feel the items in person before they purchase. Because the distributor has its own factories throughout China, customers get factory-direct pricing and fast service. "Our customers find us extremely reliable on shipping, because we have a 200,000-square-foot distribution center with tons of inventory," the wholesaler notes. "Customers can be assured that we have the quantities they need, when they need it."

Reliability and loyalty are products of experience and dedication, and Ocean State Creations, launched in 1958 by John and Louis Anatone, remains a family affair. "I was born into the business," says Bob Anatone, general manager. "I was four years old when they started it. Because we've been in the industry so long, we have the knowledge to succeed. Supplying good products at a good price, and owning the property and the buildings, lets us keep the costs down." Ocean State has scaled down operations to primarily focus on specialty areas such as Mother's Day and Christmas, manufacturing all products in the United States. The product line includes earrings, tackpins, broaches, necklaces, religious angels and holiday novelties.

For Mother's Day, Anatone recommends the U-860 gold necklaces and U-861 gold tac pins for moms and grandmas, sold in packs of three dozen with 18 pieces of each "Mom" and "Grandma," sold at $32.50 for the U-860 and $25.20 for the U-861. Both items usually retail around $3.49 each, a markup of 300 to 400 percent. Anatone notes that another good Mother's Day option is the 1501 "Best Mom" tac pin, or the 1502 "For A Special Grandma" tac pin, both sold in a dozen-pack for $10.80, with a three-dozen display available for $5. In addition, there are numerous new bracelets available. "We've added quite a few different styles of bracelets in the last year, and even within the last month," Anatone notes. "We make them in just about any category, sold by the dozen. We do them on displays, by the dozen, carded or uncarded, or bulk, whichever way the customer wants it."

Ocean State offers products both with and without displays. "Any product that has a "U" in front of it comes with a display," Anatone explains. "If they want the 1506, the #1 Mom Angel Pin, which is a very popular Mother's Day product, then they get just a rack card; if they buy the U-1506, then they get the display. We try to make it easy. If they want a display, we just add whatever the cost of the display is, which is very cheap." Anatone likes the simplicity of Ocean State's WholesaleCentral.com site, where all items are easily grouped by categories such as Christmas, Breast Cancer Awareness, and St. Patrick's Day. There is no wholesale minimum, but quantity displays are available for customers who buy in bulk, with savings increasing by volume.

CKB Products sells to both wholesale and retail customers, and the distributor's calling card is that it will sell at wholesale prices, no matter what the order size is. "The quality of our products is really good, especially for the price you pay," says Jason Barton, vice president. "We are very low because we do wholesale, but we want to grow internationally. We want the entire world to be able to get our products and wholesale prices."

Because CKB offers a wide variety of merchandise, the products can please mothers of all kinds. "It really depends on the type of person," Barton notes. "We have a little bit of everything for everybody. We have a lot of cookware and kitchen utensils, but if your mother likes Harley Davidson, we have that as well, or luggage and leather jackets. If she is an outdoors person, we have umbrellas, which are really big sellers. If she likes to go to a lot of sporting events, we have a nice little cushion so she does not have to sit on hard stadium chairs." Barton adds that CKB does a lot of personalized engravings on flasks and lighters, with a number of different sizes listed on the site. The user simply enters what specifications they want, and a logo or up to four lines of text can be placed on the flask or lighter.

CKB's website neatly divides products into dozens of categories for easy browsing, and each item's page lists wholesale discounts by quantity purchased, with suggested retail prices also noted. There is no minimum order size. Barton notes that because of the wide variety of products, he has seen markups by retailers at 50 or 100 percent, and even as high as 500 percent, depending on the item and merchant.

Another wholesaler offering heavy discounts is Henry Brandt and Company, dba Inspirational Wholesale, a family-owned business based in Missouri, which has sold closeout items for more than 40 years. Known for carrying a wide variety of inspirational products, the company carries high quality items such as greeting cards, gifts, home décor and books, at 75 to 95 percent off the manufacturer's retail price.

Founded by Henry Brandt in 1966, the wholesaler sells numerous products such as gift items, books and journals, perfect for Mother's Day. But it is the wide selection of cards that make Brandt stand out. "We have over 250 styles of Mother's Day greeting cards available at HenryBrandt.com," says Charles Pugh, co-owner. "All a customer needs to do is click on greeting cards, go to Mother's Day, and they will be able to select from the different styles that work for their specific needs. The name-brand cards are 25 cents each, regardless of volume, and they were never meant to be sold for that kind of price. The average retail on seasonal cards is in the $2.50 range, so they're an original, very good quality card, still in their original wholesale packs."

The company's website, Inspirational Wholesale at henrybrandt.com, was redesigned in January 2011, and is shopper-friendly and categorized for easy browsing. Pugh adds that the redesign has received very positive response from customers, and there has been a definite increase in activity and sales. The order minimum is $100, catering to retailers of all shapes and sizes. "We take pride in the fact that we always have given our best prices up front, so everybody wins," Pugh notes. "Founder Henry Brandt has always said that you take care of the small customers like you take care of the larger accounts, and we've done our best to maintain that philosophy in today's market."

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